A zoning change to allow construction of a self-storage center on West Belleview Avenue just west of South Simms Street was approved Jan. 27 by Jeffco’s county commissioners.

Commissioners Casey Tighe and Don Rosier voted to add a storage center to allowable uses for the 2.56-acre property under planned development zoning. The plan for the property, which is just west of a Comfort Dental and Walgreens, is for a 50,000-square-foot center with 460 storage units.

Jeffco’s county commissioners are considering awarding targeted pay increases as a way to stop, or at least slow, an increase in employee attrition.

The commissioners discussed spending $1.5 million annually to target certain areas in the county workforce during two days of staff briefings last week on Jeffco’s proposed 2015 budget. County employees are already in line for a 2 percent merit-pay increase next year.

Police in Mount Crested Butte say that human remains found in the Gunnison National Forest are those of Sherri Ahlbrandt, a Littleton woman missing in the area since Aug. 13

A search party on Oct. 29 found the remains in a rugged area called Middle Anthracite Creek, close to where hunters on Oct. 23 found items identified as belonging to Ahlbrandt, said Marjorie Trautman, a spokeswoman for the Mount Crested Butte police.

The Jeffco Sheriff’s Office opened the new regional crime lab for a tour last week. The new facility, part of an expansion of the jail, will give law enforcement access to some of the most cutting-edge scientific equipment available.

The Jeffco jail is getting a security upgrade after its first prisoner escape since it was built 28 years ago.

The county commissioners have given initial approval to a project that will install metal bars on the jail’s five recreation yards. The bars will supplement the steel security meshing that is currently in place.

The project is estimated to cost $100,000, and the funds will come from a surplus from the current jail expansion, which is about $1 million under budget. That project is about a month away from completion.

Littleton hosted a town hall meeting on the urban renewal process as part of its ongoing effort to counteract what the city sees as misinformation about urban renewal.

The meeting at Arapahoe Community College on Oct. 28 drew about 200 people. Residents were asked to give the city feedback on questions including their age, perception and knowledge of urban renewal, whether they had children in Littleton Public Schools, and whether they owned a business in town.

The Foothills Park and Recreation District finalized the sale of a parcel on the northwest corner of South Wadsworth Boulevard and West Coal Mine Avenue last week, netting the district $1.075 million after commission.

The property will be developed into a two-story medical center with a surgical unit, emergency medical care and overnight care. The property had to be rezoned by Jefferson County to allow for overnight stays before the sale could go forward, said Foothills Executive Director Ron Hopp.